Barry powers Senators to Montachusett League title

LEOMINSTER -- After a mediocre regular season, expectations were not that high for Leominster entering the Montachusett Senior League postseason. But the ending could not be much better.

Leominster orchestrated clutch hitting down the stretch to lift it to a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over Westminster in the championship game at Pin Cannavino Field on Thursday evening.

Leominster wins the title after sweeping the series 2-0, following a win on Wednesday as well. It ends the summer with a 9-7-1 record. Westminster finishes its year at 7-12.

"Two weeks ago they were thinking that it was a terrible year," Leominster manager Scott Piper said.

"It was chaos all year with the coaching situation and didn't have a home field, and these kids just stuck with it and hung in there. Resiliency, it's what we do, and this game was a perfect example where we came back."

Post 151 Leominster Legion player David Barry carried his team offensively, going 3 for 3 with 3 RBI.

Westminster rallied to take a 4-3 lead after the top half of the sixth inning, but white-hot Barry was coming to the plate to start the inning. Barry drilled a line drive homer over the 315-foot sign in left field which essentially tied the game in a blink of an eye.

The hits kept coming as cleanup hitter Jordan Mays laced a double to left field, to put the go ahead run in scoring position. A hard liner to second marked the first out, but then an infielder misplayed a Ryan Sullivan shot up the middle which made its way to the outfield, allowing enough time for the pinch runner to put Leominster up 5-4.

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The speedy Sullivan stole second, then attempted to steal third. It appeared he would make it to third safely, but an errant throw from home also ensured that he would score the sixth Leominster run.

With Westminster already orchestrating a comeback bid earlier in the game, it was crucial for Leominster to get lights out pitching in the seventh to preserve the win. Barry did just that as he entered and struck out the side.

"It was David Barry day," Coach Piper said. "He tied the game and then closed it out. He is the future of Leominster High, they had some studs graduate and he's the one coming down the pike."

Westminster which struggled getting hits in its first game of the series, helped provide a little spark early. Colby Roussel reached on a walk, then stole second base to start things. Tim Bouchard then came through with a chopper up the middle which put the visitors on top 1-0 in the first.

Ryan Lever helped start a response in the bottom half of the first, when he reached on a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball with one out. Barry then connected on his first RBI of the game, on an infield hit to knot it up at 1-1. Leominster appeared to start pulling away in the third.

No. 10 hitter Danny Hernandez reached on an infield hit to start, then with an out Chris Piper executed a classic Leominster suicide squeeze to give the Senators the 2-1 lead.

Barry then brought Chris Piper home on a double to right-center that rolled to the wall, giving Leominster a 3-1 lead.

Westminster only tallied one baserunner in the second-through-fourth innings, but in the fifth it broke the spell. With one out and two on, Evan Sampson grounded into a fielder's choice at first, which brought Westminster within one run.

The sixth inning was the rallying point for the underdogs, as another walk to start spelled trouble for Leominster. Jake Rader drilled an arcing slicer that dipped in just fair of the left field foul line, which tied the game, then Brian Chadbourne helped his own cause with a base hit to centerfield, making it 4-3 Westminster.

"It was good to see them battling back," Westminster manager Doug Marchant said. "It was tough to give it right back in the bottom of the sixth.

"We didn't play as crisp of a game as we did in the (regular season), and those come back to bite you."

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